


Home Sweet Home

by SunshineAndRoseWater



Series: The Road to Recovery [10]
Category: Fall Out Boy, My Chemical Romance
Genre: Post-Apocalypse
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-20
Updated: 2016-02-20
Packaged: 2018-05-22 01:39:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 893
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6065860
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SunshineAndRoseWater/pseuds/SunshineAndRoseWater
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Gerard and Bandit finally make it to the settlement and see Mikey for the first time.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Home Sweet Home

**Author's Note:**

> I just have a lot of Way Brothers emotions and I'm taking you all with me on this ride.

“Here we are,” Matt announces, hopping out of the cart and offering a hand to Gerard. “Home sweet home.”

Gerard takes Matt's hand and he clambers stiffly out of the cart. The rough ride has done a number on his joints and he aches everywhere, but it's better than walking. He turns to get Bandit only to see that Andy is already helping her down.

Gerard takes in the sight of the settlement. Home. He could get used to calling it that. There are a variety of houses aligned in such a way that it is clear this was a carefully designed suburb. Yet in the distance there are fields fenced off for animals and from what Gerard can make out each house seems to have it's own garden. Surrounding the settlement is a tall and imposing fence, an ugly but necessary feature.

“It looks nice,” he says. Though really, he would have been happy with almost anything after the various refugee camps he and Bandit have been shuffled through.

“It really is,” Matt says. He and Andy unload their things, not that they have much. Gerard and Bandit only have one backpack each. Anything more had proven to be too hard to carry or keep track of. Still, Matt and Andy insist on carrying the bags and Gerard is too tired to argue.

“C'mon, we'll take you to what you really came for,” Andy says.

Gerard doesn't bother to argue that what they what they came for was pretty much everything. A roof, an actual bed, running water, luxuries he never realized were luxuries until he didn't have them anymore. He knows what Andy means and he is all too happy to follow as they lead him and Bandit through the settlement.

When they arrive at the house Andy grabs his elbow and pulls him up short.

“Gerard, just... remember what I said okay?”

Gerard rolls his eyes like he wanted to do he first time Andy lectured him. This is Gerard's brother, for God's sake, he doesn't need to be told how to react to being reunited with his own family.

The door opens and Pete appears, but what catches Gerard's attention is the person behind him. When he steps out Gerard's first thought is  _Who is that?_ Then the person lifts his head and Gerard forgets how to breathe.

Mikey is dressed in baggy sweatpants and an oversized sweatshirt, an outfit he wouldn't have been caught dead in before. He's walking painfully slow, gripping the banister tightly as he makes his way down the porch steps. What truly catches Gerard completely off-guard is his face. The entire left side if Mikey's face is marred by a semi-healed wound that runs from hairline to chin. It goes clean through his eyebrow and right by the edge of his mouth, pulling the corner of it down in a slight frown.

“Uncle Mikey!” Bandit yells, happily.

Mikey crouches at the bottom of the steps and Bandit dives into his arms, hugging him and telling him she missed him. After a moment she bounds away, too much energy to remain in one place. Mikey slowly climbs to his feet, using the banister and Pete's hand for balance.

Mikey continues to approach Gerard. As he does he brings up a hand to cover his wounded face. Only then does Gerard realize he has been staring at the wound. Suddenly he wishes he'd paid more attention to Andy's lecture.

“Gerard?” Mikey asks, hesitating.

“Mikey.” Gerard closes the space between them and gathers Mikey into a tight hug. As he squeezes his arms sink into the layers of fabric. _Holy shit, he's thin_ , Gerard realizes. Mikey clings to him and buries his face in Gerard's shoulder.

“I missed you,” Mikey says, his words muffled by Gerard's shirt. “I didn't think I'd ever see you again.”

“Oh, Mikey, of course you would have,” Gerard says. “Like you're ever going to get rid of me.”

He rubs Mikey's back gently, he can feel the ridge of Mikey's spine and the realization sickens him though he tries not to let it show. Fucking hell, what happened to him? Gerard has lost a lot of weight from living on refugee rations but somehow Mikey seems so much thinner. Mikey makes a snuffling sound and, shit, Gerard was trying so hard not to cry.

Behind them the others are heading inside with the bags. Pete reeling Bandit in with a promise of feeding her lunch. Gerard could really use a full meal, but not yet. Now he takes the opportunity of a little privacy and lets himself cry, burying his face in the soft fabric of Mikey's hoodie.

“Gerard?” Mikey pulls away a little so he can look at him. “Are you okay?”

The question startles a laugh out of Gerard, it sounds a bit manic.  _No, and I've been pretending to be for too long._

“Yeah,” Gerard says. “I've got my baby brother back, of course I'm going to be okay.”

Mikey smiles slightly and puts his head back on to Gerard's shoulder. It's the first time he hasn't minded Gerard calling him 'baby brother' since they were kids.

Mikey understands more than Gerard says, as usual. He whispers into Gerard's ear “Don't worry. We'll take care of each other. We always have.”

Gerard finally feels like he can breathe again.

**Author's Note:**

> Did my work make you feel emotions? Come talk to me about it on my tumblr: [sunshinedontcare](http://sunshinedontcare.tumblr.com/)


End file.
